The present invention relates to a connector assembly, such as a connector assembly for use in high voltage applications.
Increased fuel costs and increased efforts at reducing environmental pollution have lead the automotive industry towards electric and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). One design aspect of these vehicles is the consideration for the high operating voltage. Consequently, specific components of the vehicles must be designed to accommodate the high voltage. The electronic devices of these vehicles include components that operate at high voltages and require high voltage pathways including connectors. For example, some known electrical vehicular assemblies include electronic loads, such as air conditioning compressors, auxiliary heaters, and the like, that operate using up to 600 volts.
In connector applications that use high voltage, special requirements exist for providing safety to users and to prevent damage to other assembly components and the connectors themselves. For example, if a connector is unmated under active high voltage power, at the instant the mating conductors of the high voltage connector disconnect, the high voltage power may cause severe damage to the connector. Consequently, in some applications, a high-voltage interlock (HVIL) circuit is used to protect the connectors and other assembly components from damage due to the high voltage power. An HVIL circuit controls the high voltage power so that the high voltage power is not active at the mating and unmating of the high voltage conductors. In a connector assembly with an HVIL circuit, the sequence of mating and unmating the high voltage conductors and the mating and unmating of the HVIL contacts is controlled to prevent injury to users or damage to the components. For example, an HVIL circuit may ensure that the high voltage conductors are mated prior to the HVIL contacts and thus prior to activating the high voltage power and, the HVIL contacts are unmated, which deactivates the high voltage power, prior to (and after a preferred delay) the unmating of the high voltage conductors.
Due to the lack of alternative placement options, some known high voltage systems provide fuses inside power distribution modules. The power distribution modules include power sources, such as batteries, that supply electric current to the electronic devices. Placing or replacing the fuses inside the power distribution module typically requires opening of a cover of the module and removal of one or more components inside the module. For example, the fuses may not be easily accessible inside the module.
A need exists for a connector that electrically couples one or more electronic devices with a power distribution module while providing a more easily accessible and replaceable fuse.